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A Sentimental Last Address as a Temporary Governor

TRENTON, Jan. 10 - In a speech tinged with sentimentality and marked by a call for bipartisan resolve, Richard J. Codey delivered his final major address as New Jersey's governor on Tuesday, thanking a joint session of the Legislature for helping to "bring stability during a period of turmoil."

The State of the State address, Mr. Codey's last speech before Jon S. Corzine assumes office next Tuesday, was a stirring valedictory for Mr. Codey, who took over the governor's chair 14 months ago after James E. McGreevey resigned in a sex scandal. Mr. Codey, 59, has remained Senate president while in the governor's office, and will continue in that position.

Almost a year to the day after he promised to restore a sense of steadiness to the governor's office after Mr. McGreevey's departure, Mr. Codey reflected on a year in which many legislators on both sides agreed that he largely achieved that goal.

"When I took this office, New Jersey was in a state of shock, and frankly so was I," Mr. Codey said to a smattering of laughter from the standing-room-only audience in the Assembly chamber. "People questioned how anything could be accomplished, but we put policies before politics and let principles guide our decisions."

A legislator for more than three decades, Mr. Codey is widely credited with helping to heal the collective psyche of a State House that was rocked by Mr. McGreevey's announcement in August 2004 that he would leave office because of an extramarital affair with a man.

Mr. Codey's unassuming style has also proved popular with state residents. According to polls, he has some of the highest approval ratings -- as great as 71 percent in a poll conducted last month by Quinnipiac University -- for a sitting governor in decades.

That sentiment might have been reflected in the rousing three-minute standing ovation that legislators gave Mr. Codey before he started his address; it ended only after he repeatedly waved his arms and said, "Let's go, it's show time."

Mr. Codey proudly cited the successful passage of many of his legislative priorities, including new ethics laws and a ban on smoking in public places.

He conceded that some projects he had sponsored, like the creation of a stem-cell research center, had not been approved and must be left for the next legislative session and Mr. Corzine.

Mr. Codey encouraged lawmakers to continue to work in a bipartisan spirit, noting that Mr. Corzine would be facing issues as pressing as rescuing the soon-to-be bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund and a budget deficit projected as high as $6 billion.

"I know people will be tempted to seek political benefit in the face of the problems confronting Governor Corzine," Mr. Codey said, "but the issues before this Legislature are bigger than any of us or either party."

He said that legislators had a responsibility to work cooperatively with the new governor. "Jon Corzine wasn't here when this mess was created," Mr. Codey said, adding that the governor-elect "has chosen to come here and use his talents to tackle problems not of his making."

Mr. Corzine did not attend Tuesday's address; aides have said that he does not want to overshadow Mr. Codey. Mr. Corzine's colleague in the Senate, Frank R. Lautenberg, and Representative Robert Menendez, whom Mr. Corzine selected as his own successor in the Senate, did attend.

In an interview, Mr. Lautenberg praised Mr. Codey for his leadership in one of the more tumultuous times in the state's political history. "He provided that kind of magic carpet to give the state a lift," he said. "He talked to the people in a serious and meaningful way and got by the chaff and got to the real stuff."

State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, a longtime friend of Mr. McGreevey's who had encouraged him to remain in office despite his announcement that he was resigning, called Mr. Codey "a blessing for the state of New Jersey and the Democratic Party."

"We had troubled waters confronting us, and his uncanny ability to approach monumental problems in an unassuming and even self-deprecating way allowed us to get through last year," Mr. Lesniak said.

Even State Senator Leonard Lance, the leader of the Republican minority, offered Mr. Codey "full credit for restoring integrity to the office of governor."

When Mr. Codey took office, there was speculation that he would run for a full four-year term, not just finish Mr. McGreevey's term, but he decided he could not compete with the campaign funds of Mr. Corzine, who earned a fortune on Wall Street.

After Mr. Corzine was elected, some thought Mr. Codey would lobby to replace him in the Senate, but Mr. Codey, who was never approached by Mr. Corzine, withdrew his name from consideration. Mr. Codey said he was content to leave the governor's chair for a second time, having served as acting governor for three days in 2002 when Donald T. DiFrancesco left office.

He said he was proud to have enacted legislation expanding services for the mentally ill. Mr. Codey's wife, Mary Jo, was treated for severe post-partum depression, and he was visibly emotional when he acknowledged her.

Mr. Codey said he was also glad the state was able to reach an agreement on a new stadium for the Giants and the Jets, and acknowledged the owners of the two professional football teams in the audience, John K. Mara and Steve Tisch of the Giants and Woody Johnson of the Jets.

The governor used the moment to flash the good humor that he is known for. "Now, Mr. Johnson," he said, "I know you're looking for a new coach," a reference to the departure of Herman Edwards. "After next week, I have some time on my hands and I am available."

Mr. Codey has seemed like anything but a lame duck. He spent last weekend vigorously lobbying for his pet legislation and on Tuesday he signed several bills into law following the just-ended legislative session.

One measure removed the word "acting" from his title, and Mr. Codey had joked that it was the most important of his tenure. (He participated in a ceremony late Monday in which he scraped the word off the glass door of his office.)

He promised to remain active, whatever his title. "There are still windmills to tilt at and dragons to slay," he said. "And I intend to call 'em as I see 'em until my contract runs out."